On Wednesday we began our look at the book of Luke, our focus for 2007. Luke is the best book for learning about discipleship and learning how to live in community. There are a number of different sources that will inform our study including commentaries from Darrell L. Bock (The NIV Application Commentary), Joseph A. Fitzmyer (The Gospel According to Luke I - IX) and Robert C. Tannehill (Luke). We were each encouraged order two books: Luke for Everyone by N.T. Wright, and The Theology of The Gospel of Luke by Joel B. Green.
The purpose and plan of God is at the centre of Luke’s theology. With less emphasis on the cross, Luke focuses on discipleship, being witnesses and moving into the world. As a younger companion of Paul, Luke learned from this teacher. Watching the dissension in the church from the side, he learned from Paul’s mistakes and divisive approach choosing instead to be exceptionally discerning, playing down problems. Although Luke didn’t know Jesus personally, he would have relied on a strong oral tradition.
The Many and the One
During Luke’s time the question of how many cultures could be unified in Christ would have been a problem. It’s a relevant question for our time too. Is there a plan of God for every person alive, every culture and religion? Paul contends that Luke’s message, universal and non-exclusive, can be interpreted to every person. The next step in Acts is to interpret the universality into every philosophical system.
Our mission as a group is to be one little group among many different people. Unity and diversity. Standing alone together. The plan of God is to unify the world through the one gospel of Christ. Project Peacemakers exemplifies this, being more interested in acknowledging the Kingdom of God than in religion.
Why Read Luke?
With 2157 verses, Luke-Acts is the largest contributor in the New Testament. Both Luke and Matthew use Mark and Q as primary sources. We need to be careful when we study Luke to stick to what is in Luke and not compare or confuse it with other gospels. Luke tells his gospel in a certain way for a certain purpose. This way, rather than what happens, is what we want to pay attention to.
Luke is about God’s plan. Questions in Luke include:
Why Did Jesus Come?
Bock’s interpretation of Luke suggests that Jesus came to atone for sin, but Paul’s not sure about this. It seems more evident from the gospel that Jesus came to form a people renewed by the Spirit and able to serve. Freed from all principalities, the Spirit enables us to serve. The things we are incapable of doing get addressed. God offers 100%. We offer zero.
Second, Jesus came to fulfill the promises of God to Abraham, Moses, David and the prophets. Promises such as providing a leader into the promised land, and fulfilling both messianic and royal prophecies. The message is that we don’t know how the promises will be fulfilled, just that it’s going to be in a very surprising way.
What Did Jesus Do?
Jesus revealed the way to God and God’s power through miracles and healing. These healings always involved ambiguity and surprise. Jesus expands our understanding of reality. Paul asks if we are going to believe that God will heal and in what sense? Jesus also revealed the Kingdom’s victory over evil and all that opposes humanity, and he revealed the way of Suffering Discipleship.
What Does Jesus Want Us to Do?
Summary
Who was Luke?
Genre: Gospel, theology and history
Possible Dates
Audience
Purposes
Primarily, Luke is a Gospel of Reassurance. In studying it, we will learn the suffering of discipleship, that Christ is forming us, that we are called to be witnesses of redemption and forgiveness to the world and that we are called to participate, through listening to the Spirit, in the creation of the Kingdom.